Shared fleets of vehicles, like cars or bicycles, are increasingly popular. Sharing a vehicle from a fleet provides a user to use a vehicle when needed and prevents the user to buy a vehicle and the cost associated therewith. The vehicles are also available at a number of different locations so that vehicles are available nearby popular locations. This turns into a convenient and economical way to commute. For example, car sharing is increasingly popular in Montreal, Quebec, Canada with Communauto (communauto.com). Clusters of shared cars are located in various locations where users can borrow them. Similarly, public bike rental systems are also increasingly popular. Such a bike rental system has been implemented in the city of Montreal, Quebec, Canada and is known under the name Bixi™ (bixi.com). It consists of a plurality of bikes rental stations configured to securely receive a plurality of rental bikes in respective docks. Each station has a network-based system with an interface used by the person who wants to rent a bike from the station or confirm return of the vehicle to the station.
Still referring to bikes, a station provides a plurality of bike receiving docks. Each vehicle is locked on a vehicle receiving dock. The vehicle is manually unlocked with a code when the rental transaction is accepted and the user is entitled to use the vehicle for a period of time. The vehicle is brought back to any station that has an empty dock when rental time is over. A bike that is returned to a station can automatically be recognized without intervention of the user with the interface of the station.
Each bike has a unique identifier recognized by a sensor on the dock connected to the station. It is therefore possible, because each station is connected to a network, to know if there is a vehicle in a dock and how many vehicles are docked at a station. This information could be made available via an Internet website to prevent a user to go to a station having no available vehicle to rent.
Distribution of bikes in each station is a constant challenge since vehicles are moving all the time from one station to the other. On the other hand, it is desirable to have a minimum number of bikes at each station to ensure minimum service from each station. The opposite issue arises when a user wants to bring back a bike to a station that is already full of vehicles and no dock is empty for receiving a bike returned after rental.
Rental vehicles are often equipped with minimal electronics. Additional onboard electronics is desirable to facilitate and improve the communication between the vehicle and the user. It is also desirable to use additional electronic devices that the user knows how to handle.
Therefore, a need for an improved vehicle rental system has been felt over the existing art.